Need advice on moving to CA!!!

Hoping LVN2BSN · Feb 20, 2006

Hi,

I'm currently in San Diego as an LVN student, what you make in Jacksonville is at least what I will be making when I start working as an LVN. So you can expect to make much more than that. Here I have seen ads for $30/hr. Even more in San Francisco. Homes in Southern California are expensive, but some can be found in nice areas that are affordable. I don't know about Orange County (I don't think affordable is in their vocabulary) but San Diego has nice property that might not break the bank. I'm from Northern California, Sacramento, if my husband wasn't in the Navy and I was an RN I would work in San Francisco and commute an hour or so, homes are just as nice and more affordable up north, that's if you can do without the ocean. Which is no skin off my back.

By the way on Salary.com the lowest 25% in San Diego made $56,532, O.C. $58,354, San Francisco $62,612.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Feb 21, 2006

If you ever want home ownership in California, you might need to move to the Central Valley cities (Fresno, Bakersfield, Visalia, Hanford, etc.). Even though the hourly rates are slightly lower than Southern California wages, you will find a decent home for under $250,000.

CaGuy · Mar 1, 2006

don't let these posts scare you. people view ca real estate as a big monster. so did i until i bought my first property. i'm 26 and own a condo in oc. i make about 50 and my wife makes about 30 as a private school teacher. we don't bring home the "big bucks" by any means. yet we live in relative comfort: plasma tv, wife just bought a new car, 10 min from the beach. there are so many programs and offers to get people into home in ca. my experience with people who are pessimistic about ca real estate is that they tend to be people who've never attempted ca real estate. we didn't think we'd ever be able to buy. however, we got hooked up with a great agent who was determined to get us into a home. she helped us find the right loan with the right financing options. we bought our condo with nothing down, and made $5000 on the deal with a sellers rebate. our closing costs were about $4500 which included the first month and a halves mortgage. it can be done. you just can't let the high numbers overwhelm you.

ShemRN · Mar 1, 2006

Consider working as a traveling nurse. My aunt did and her rent in a VERY nice apt in Pasadena was completely paid for by the agency (plus travelers always make lots more money!).

She was also able to obtain some sort of tax shelter for the home she still owned in Northern California (don't know if the agency helped with that though).

You can sign on for just a few months to test out an area or hospital which seems like a good thing too.

Also, check areas outside of Orange County. Maybe look at a travel guide to see what other areas have things you'd enjoy doing in them.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Mar 4, 2006

My experience with people who are pessimistic about CA real estate is that they tend to be people who've never attempted CA real estate.

I am pessimistic about California real estate even though I have purchased and sold 2 California homes within the past 3 years.

Sheri257 · Mar 4, 2006

We are looking around Orange County down to San Diego. Right now in FL, we own our own house and purchased it under $200K. I have found homes in Orange county listed from $500K and up. I am wondering it is even possible for a nurse to affordably purchase a home in CA without going broke?!?!?

I wouldn't buy a house right now. The market is just starting to soften and you'd be buying at the peak of the market ... easily paying too much.

If you're set on living in the more expensive areas then, I'd wait a couple of years because, a lot of those homes are probably going to be $100,000 cheaper, maybe more once the market correction hits. It's just a question of when prices are going to drop and by how much.

If you're set on buying a house now then, I'd look at the cheaper inland areas. That's where all of development is going in California. You can get a lot more house for a lot less money, and still make good money as an RN. Especially if you move to an area where there's lots of nursing jobs within commuting distance.

:typing

shodobe · Mar 6, 2006

I could never figure out why people who "own" a condo think they really own anything. The building is not theirs just the right to live there. I equate it as renting but when you decide to move you at least make some money off of the deal. ANYONE who moves to Ca can expect high prices in almost ALL metro locations. I live in NorCal out in the country and bought my house 9 years ago for 140K. It now has increased to over 300K. There are alot of nice places around the state where one can afford to live and the commute isn't to bad. Real estate has now flatten out but prices are still very high. Listings that were available for only a few days just a few weeks ago are now up to over a few weeks. People are not selling their homes as fast as it was a month ago. This transaltes into slightly lower prices, not much though. Experts are expecting the prices of homes, in certain areas, to drop from 2-5% over the next month, so you never know what is going to happen. Homes are going to still be expensive over the next fews years, especially for those who have never owned a home before. Really try to decide what is important to you before deciding on a location, beaches, mountains, cultural events etc.... Some areas do not have these or the travel distance can be a hindrance. Good luck

CaGuy · Mar 6, 2006

Propably because we do. You have limitations for owning your house. You are limited to the land you buy. We are limited by space too. My condo cost as much as your house it worth. We can do whatever we want with the inside. We've owned it for 8 months and we just had it appraised for $348,000, so yes we also get to make money off of it unlike renting. Our mortgage here is just a few hundred more than the average rent prices.

Sheri257 · Mar 6, 2006

Propably because we do. You have limitations for owning your house. You are limited to the land you buy.

Sorry ... I've done both and it's not the same. I can't stand condo and, for that matter, homeowner's associations ... their restrictions and demands are insane.

I can put a washer and dryer in to my house anytime I want to but ... the condo association told me I couldn't. So I had to haul my laundry someplace else every week when I had a condo. Thankfully, I sold it. I'll never do that again.

A friend of mine belongs to a homeowner's association. When she rented out her house, both she and her tenant still had to pay association fees ... even though she didn't live there anymore. If she owned my house ... she would just rent it and be done with it ... no double billing for fees because of some insane association.

That's the difference. You have a lot more freedom with your own property without a condo or homeowner's association.

:typing